Category: business coach

If you are a Millennial business owner, you might find it hard to outsource some of the jobs, and end up spending far too much time in the office or on your computer. Every now and then, however, you should take a step back and ask yourself how much you are earning per day, and how much time you are spending on doing the wrong things. Are you prone to procrastination? If the answer is yes, here are some tips to overcome your entrepreneurial challenges.

Block Schedule Time Slots

Your brain takes 25-30 minutes to switch from one activity to the next. This means that you will need to block schedule activities. If you are brainstorming social media posts, spend at least an hour on the same job. Likewise, you can write your blogs ahead and schedule them, so you are not losing focus and jumping from one job to the next.

Outsource

There will be some things you don’t enjoy doing, or things that you are generally not good at. That means that you will have to outsource some jobs to free up your time to earn more money per day. Nobody likes crunching numbers or doing social media research. You can now find affordable social media management packages that will allow you to sit back and free up more time when it comes to your digital marketing strategy.

Automate

There are also things you can automate in your business, such as scheduling your posts, the ordering process, and even accounting. This will make your days more productive and allow you to work on your business instead of in it. From link building to video creation, there are several software available for the small business owner to help them manage their time and make the most out of their earning potential.

Avoid Distractions

There are simply too many distractions today. Messages, phone calls, and games. If you are a sports fan, you might also be tempted to check on the results of the latest match. The good news is that you can now get all the information delivered to you once a day, so you don’t have to stop working to find out the Baseball results. Check out the pages about players that include all the information. If you follow Parker Sniatynski you will find all the information and updates on one page.

Take Care Of Your Mental Health

If you are tired all the time and find it hard to focus, chances are that you will need to improve your sleep habits. You have to find the time when your brain is the most active, so you can tackle the most important tasks that require the most focus. If you are working on the global market and need to talk to clients late at night, you can always catch up with sleep in the morning.

If you would like to make the most out of your time as an entrepreneur, you will have to outsource and implement apps and productivity tools to make your business run smoother.

Every entrepreneur wants to make money. The problem is that some people have ideas and others don’t. Does that mean you’re not an entrepreneur? Of course not. Writers struggle to come up with ideas from time to time, but that doesn’t mean they’re no longer writers. Why do you think “writer’s block” even became a term? The same can be true of passionate and motivated business professionals; you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. If you’re experiencing “entrepreneur’s block” then here are some business ideas that’ll make you money in the modern world.

Mindfulness.

If you’ve never tried meditation then you should certainly give it a go. Mastering mindfulness techniques will help you to achieve a state of zen. You’ll be able to focus on the present moment by guiding your thoughts to more peaceful things. For instance, if you can focus on your breathing rather than worries about the past, present, or future then you’ll be able to achieve a deeper state of calm. Once you’ve mastered this, you could use your newfound talents to make money. There’s a big market for meditation – everybody wants to relieve stress. Take your pick of different business routes. You could create an app, a blog, or perhaps even sell products that people can use for yoga and other forms of meditation.

Betting.

You might want to consider going into the business of betting if you want to make some serious money in the modern world. Bookies have been around for a long time, but there’s a growing market for them at the moment because of the internet. If you fancy the idea of making money from your betting business online then you should look into Pay Per Head 24/7 Bookmaking Services. This software will help you to manage your services. You have to be able to track your customers but also advertise your business to them effectively. Your goal is to foster loyal relationships with your players, so you have to treat them well. If they win then cash out. If they don’t then try to make sure they’re not deterred from playing again. Do your research to make sure you’re marketing your bookie business as well as possible. In turn, you’ll start to make some serious money.

Office letting.

Perhaps you’re already running a business from an office, but it’s not as successful as you wished it would be. If that’s the case then you should be searching for new ways to make a profit. One such option might be to rent out your office to other businesses. If you have spare working space then you shouldn’t let it go to waste. Being entrepreneurial is all about profiting from all the assets and services you have available. Whilst you try to figure out ways to fix whatever current business (or businesses) you own, you could start a side-company in office letting to tide you over. It might end up becoming a very profitable business model in its own right.

There’s a lot of items that your business needs. Everything that you buy should have a purpose. After all, frivolous purchases can be damaging to your finances. In some cases, the smart businesses buy items which have two functions. For example, a branded pen is something which will help to write things and also promote your business at the same time.

As you can probably tell, there are a handful of different branded items that your business needs. They all help with your image, but they are also functional. We’re going to be looking at our top selection of these objects here.

Clothing and accessories

The first item on the list is the obvious one – clothing. When you have a business, there’s often a dress code. Something that all the employees need to wear. There’s a lot of reasons for this. Whether it’s to create a sense of uniform, community or to help customers identify members of staff, there’s a reason for branded clothing.

You can begin to understand why you need something like this. It’s a critical asset for business people who want to be able to promote themselves while helping their staff to look good. For example, if everyone wore custom embroidered club ties, then not only would they be part of your company, but they also serve as walking advertisements when they’re out and about.

Pens and notepads

Let’s imagine you’re a business which is always sending staff members out into the field. You might be consultants, estate agents, financial advisors – the actual profession isn’t essential. What is vital, however, is how you present yourself. It’s all about that subtle advertisement. If they use pens and notepads which have your brand on when they interact with customers, then they’re sending a message while at the same time reinforcing the excellent work you do.

Another advantage of this particular type of item is that they can be cheap to produce. You want that exceptional level of promotion without paying extreme amounts of money for the privilege of doing so.

Company cars

Alright, this is the pinnacle of branded items. Any business which can afford to have a company car is one who is doing well. A branded vehicle can be many things, and we’re going to look at some of them here.

First and foremost, it’s a tool for promoting your business. When you drive it to and from work every day, you’re creating a sense of importance, and it commands respect. First of all, any business which offers company cars is sending a message to employees. If they work hard, they could have one. It creates a goal to aspire towards and gives them a dream. That’s good for productivity.

To summarize, these are some of the most necessary branded items for your business. They represent a selection of methods to promote yourself as being a legitimate enterprise, as well as ensuring that you are generating massive interest in your brand. No matter how you approach the situation, it’s one that works in your favor.

Except for any physical testing laboratory, every other lab whether operating in the medical industry or chemical industry needs a variety of testing equipment. Depending upon the extent of their field of operation, the testing equipment also varies accordingly.

Some of these equipments may be worth thousands of dollars, while some may just be a few dollars for a gross unit. Nevertheless, there are still a few pieces of equipment that are common to almost all the testing laboratories.

A Weigh Scale

The operational procedure for each and every lab follows certain standards. Right from the sampling to testing and consequently to making the observations, the procedure is well defined. As far as the sampling is concerned, quick and accurate measurement is pretty crucial.

Although it is quite impossible to strictly omit all errors, but precision can be optimized. One such instrument which is used in sampling is a weigh scale. There are various tests and results that need mass evaluation. Making this, otherwise insignificant, piece of equipment highly valuable.

Measuring Cups

Following the weigh scale, next in queue is a measuring cup. Frequently used for measuring solutions and liquids for preparation of stock solutions or for other applications, measuring cups are another such indispensable piece of equipment.

Often, in almost every industry that conducts tests using chemicals and solutions, measuring cups of varying volumetric capacity are employed. They are not meant for extracting any liquid but measure a fixed volume. For example, a 50 ml cup is useful in measuring 50 ml and not 45 ml.

Pipettes And Burettes

Quite often, there arises a need to extract a small volume of a solution from a stock solution, for titration purpose. Let’s say the lab operator needs just 5 ml of a dye solution from an already prepared solution in bulk for testing. In such cases, pipettes can be pretty helpful.

Similarly, for the preparation of solutions, in any quantity, proper and efficient mixing of the components is essential. This could be achieved with the help of an agitator. These are electronic devices that vibrate to facilitate the intermixing of two components placed within the equipment.

The speed of agitation can be changed with the help of a knob that increases or decreases the voltage supplied to the harmonic motor.

Burners To Facilitate Titrations

Lastly, there are burners. Certain titrations require a threshold temperature to begin. Some reactions are sped up on increasing the temperature. Nevertheless, having a mini burner set in the lab helps with titrations in one or the other way. These are simply indispensable, for the sake of unprecedented necessity of heating for a number of reactions and testing alike.

These pieces of equipment are pretty indispensable for almost any laboratory that deals with new technologies and their behavior. Depending upon the structure and size of the industry, the type of equipment may vary, but they would still serve the same purpose.

John Wooden once said, “Your character is who you are, and your reputation is who people think you are”. The dictionary defines character as “The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” Whereas it defines reputation as “the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something.” One is what you are, the other what others think you are.

Reputation used to be a less malleable thing before Google came along because people have been slowly giving the power of decision-making to machines like Google. We no longer do direct research ourselves – when is the last time you went to a library to do research – we simply “Google” something and pick a top result. Google is the new middle-man in our decision-making process. When an online reputation management company like Reputation X or others changes what Google portrays about a person or company, people believe those search results because they trust Google.

If reputation can be engineered, is character important?

According to the Washington Post, President Donald Trump has infamously lied or made misleading comments more than 1,000 times. That seems like a significant character flaw, but does it affect his reputation? Not among his core constituency – they don’t mind. In this case, it seems like character and reputation may not be that strongly tied. But companies like Patagonia that strive for great social impact clearly have a strong character and a great reputation. Other companies like Monsanto don’t have great reputations yet are no doubt filled with people of sterling character. Is character important? Yes, because it leads to a good reputation. Is it always important? Clearly not. Monsanto makes a lot of money and Donald Trump is President of the United States.

Where does business character stem from?

The character of a business is usually a reflection of its founder. Character traits like being driven, honest, hard-working, confidence, humility and more are often carried forward to the businesses entrepreneurs start. Plus, the character of a business owner will have an impact on employee behavior, which shapes the way a business’ character is formed too. If an owner is well-mannered, patient, and friendly, you are more likely to find that his or her workforce is courteous too. On the other hand, if the employer regularly mouths profanities and has a short temper, employees are more likely to be ill-behaved.

Where does business reputation stem from?

Business reputation is typically manufactured; by yourself and by others. This is because it is the way that third-parties perceive your brand and your character. When you consider the fact that most people today turn to Google when they need assistance, you see how you can alter the way in which people view your company by focusing on how you market your website online. This is not an easy task, though, and it requires constant evaluation and management. However, it is well worth it, as reputation is more meaningful, unforgettable, pervasive, and important than it ever has been.

Reputation is not fact, it is a belief

What makes a company’s reputation so powerful is that it is a belief, which is one of the strongest forces of humankind. It is what we believe about a service, product, company, person, or brand, rather than being a statistic or a fact. This alone shows why reputation is so significant. After all, if someone believes that your business is a scam, they are not going to purchase a service or product from you, are they? The truth doesn’t matter. If you believe a politician was not going to live up to all of his promises and that he was merely conning the public, you wouldn’t vote for him, would you? Belief has the power to build you up and tear you down just as quickly.

How do you manage your reputation?

Now you know why reputation is so critical but is this something you can influence? And, if so, how much control do you really have? Well, you can have an influence, and it’s up to you with regards to how much of an influence you have. Reputation management is vital. It involves influencing what and how people think of a person or a brand, and so it shapes your reputation.

With that being said, it is important to delve deeper into reputation management and how it works. You will find that this mostly takes place online. After all, the vast amount of communication that occurs today happens on the Internet. From discovering new products and reading the latest news to speaking with our friends and finding out facts, it all happens online. Because of this, it is only natural that you put your efforts into this medium.

It is also important to recognize that your reputation is going to have an impact on other elements of your company too. It is very much in tune with your marketing and sales efforts. This is because what people think of your brand is going to have an impact on everything relating to your brand. Therefore, your reputation has a monumental impact when it comes to the number of sales you make, right?

What do you control about your reputation?

A lot of business owners mistakenly believe that they have full control over their brand’s reputation. However, your control is actually very limited. The one thing you do have control over is your business’s actions. Nonetheless, when you consider all of the moving parts of running a business, you don’t actually have full control over every wheel in the cog, so to speak. Because of this, that means your reputation is held in the hands of people who perceive your company. After all, you could do everything by the book – you could provide an experience to a customer that most other customers would rate 10/10. However, if that specific customer was expecting something different, they could post a negative comment online, and then your reputation becomes suspect.

This does not mean you are helpless, though. Reputation management enables you to deal with the likes of blog posts, Wikipedia, negative online images, and negative news articles. It also involves controlling social media, review sites, and ripoff reports and scam sites. These can all harm your business. In today’s digital age, search results can last for years. One bad customer review or a ripoff website created based on your own can do a monumental amount of harm, and this is why you need to manage your reputation to ensure it does not spiral out of control.

Character or reputation?

If you spoke to most people, they would tell you that your character is more important than your reputation, as your character is all about who you are and we should all be proud of who we are. While this is true, feeling proud won’t get you very far in the business world. This is why reputation management is critical. As reputations are built on beliefs, they can easily boost your company or cause monumental damage, and this is why it is imperative for you to do what you can to manage this effectively.

Are you keen to make your business the best it can be? Well, then you need to make sure that you get the right team on staff. Build up your numbers with highly skilled workers who can take your company to the next level on the market. But how do you do this? How do you make sure that your business is seen as a worthy enterprise to the best workers who are going to be highly sought after? Well, there are a few ways to draw employees in.

Most business owners focus on pay levels as well as other similar incentives. But, you might be surprised to learn about some other company qualities that are sure to gain the interest of the best employees and candidates. Let’s look at some of these possibilities.

Tech Orientated

Yes, you may want to start to be thinking about the role that technology has to play in your company. Basically, you need to show employees that your business is prepared for the future and all the challenges that come with it. This means that you should be investing in the latest tech and software. There are a variety of reasons why you should do this. It improves productivity and ensures that your company remains efficient.

In the eyes of the employee, it also suggests that your business is future proof. No one wants to join a company that could fail within the next few years because then they’ll be right back to square one. As well as this if you have an IT support system in place, employees won’t have to worry about your tech failing, making their job more difficult. You can click here for more info about this issue and the solution you need to avoid it.

Incentives Other Than Pay

It’s important to note that there are other incentives to consider beyond the pay level you can offer employees. For instance, you might want to think about dangling the possibility of growing in their position. No employee wants to be stuck in a dead end job and if you set up the right structure this never has to be the case. Make sure you let them know that you will be investing in their future path and pushing to make sure they get the opportunities they need. This is going to lead to a higher level of job satisfaction and potentially help you avoid employee churn.

A Solid Future Plan

Finally, you need to make sure that you are showing employees that you have a solid plan for the future. Investors in your business want to know that you’re in it for the long haul. Well, employees want the same. They want to understand that you do have a five-year plan in place and strategies for growth on the market. If you show them this, they will be far more likely to sign on the dotted line. It’s important to be completely transparent with these plans and ensure that you are open to ideas and opinions of the people you hire.

As a modern business owner, you have to think about what you can do to attract more customers to the business, as well as retaining them for as long as possible. This is the most important consideration to make as a modern entrepreneur, and you have to do as much as you possibly can to make sure you take the company further.

There are a lot of factors you have to keep in mind that are going to help you improve your customer relationships, and this is going to help take your business to the next level. Make sure you keep some ideas in mind that are going to help you make the most of this, and help you to attract more people to the business moving forward.

Market More Effectively

There are so many things you can do to improve customer relationships in your business, but this starts with your marketing. You have to make sure you do as much as you can to come up with an excellent marketing strategy to help take things to the next level. Using an array of wonderful marketing methods to attract interest and bring people flocking to the company is so important.

Use CRM Solutions

Make sure you come up with ideas that are going to allow you to make the most of your customer relationships by managing your business better. One of the best ways of achieving this is to make sure you use the best possible CRM solutions to help improve your management skills and enhance the way you interact with your customers as much as you possibly can.

Stand Out from Your Competitors

There are plenty of essentials every business needs to succeed, and one of the best ones is to stand out from your competitors. You need to try to take things forward as much as possible so that you can stand out from the competition, and possibly even take customers from your competitors. This is important to keep in mind moving forward, and you need to get this right as much as possible.

Always be Professional

It is so important to make sure you are always being as professional as you can possibly be. There are a lot of factors that can play a part in this, but continually having a professional image is one of the most important things a business owner can do. Always being professional is so important, and there are a lot of things you can do to help you achieve this moving forward.

There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind when you want to improve your customer relationships in 2019. You have so many great things you can do to achieve this, and this is something that you have to make sure you get right as much as possible. There are a lot of things that play a part in helping with this, and you need to use these ideas to help you achieve this moving forward.

The warmer weather is just around the corner, and although we are yet to get a real taste of summer sun this year, a lot of us are preparing for just this. We spend a lot of time in the office during the year, and in the spring and summer it can be great to utilize the garden space we have. We are getting ready to prune plants, sow seeds and create outdoor spaces to enjoy at home and we can do this for the office too. Today we are taking a look at some of the most fun but extreme ways that you can spruce up the garden this year.

Build an extension

An extension can be a great way to make a change to your office space and it will also allow for more people to sit out and enjoy the weather on lunch breaks in the week. When it comes to building an extension it can be the ideal way to link the garden to the kitchen with opening French doors and fresh patio stones.

Dig a pond

If you have a large canvas to work with in your garden, a great choice to add some fun to the space will always be a pond. A pond can breathe new life into the garden because it will not only be a stunning feature, but it will also allow you to attract animals such as frogs and beets and dragonflies. It is a great way to build a new ecosystem in the garden and it can look stunning all year long with the right bog plants. You can also go one step further and install a submersible sump pump so that you can have some office fish to look after!

Pave it up

For a low fuss outdoor area in the office, you can simply have a paved space with planters full of flowers strategically placed throughout. A couple of tables and chairs and a smoking area can make this a great communal lunch spot for everyone during the summer months.

Plant some trees

For those of you who want to make an impact on the environment around you as well as create some lovely borders for the garden, planting trees is a great idea. Choose a hardy species and this will become a feature which grows and grows as time goes on. The added bonus of this is the privacy and security you will get for the office as the trees will block it from view of the road and surrounding spaces.

Create a flower feature

Have you ever walked through some of the displays they have in public gardens and felt astonished? Well, you don’t have to feel like this is out of your league because it is Easier than you think to create a stunning feature in the garden. Think about making a pattern of colors with a plant such as tulips and this can bring a whole sense of showmanship to your outdoor space in no time, and it will wow every time! It can even be done as an environmental project for the office and you can try to attract some wildlife to the area!

Every business is different in a myriad of ways. There are small businesses and large ones, ones that sell services, and others that sell products, and even ones that operate solely online. However, no matter what type or size of business you are running, there are a few essentials you will need for success. Read on to find out what they are.

Motivated employees

It’s not good enough to just employ people to do the tasks that your business needs to run. You workers also have to be motivated as well, because only then will you ensure the necessary level of quality and productivity that will make your business successful.

Of course, motivating a diverse team of individuals can be a challenge. Luckily, there are some tactics you can use to help you with this. One, in particular, is changing the culture within your business from blame when things go wrong to praise when they go right.

Additionally, being competitive with your salary and benefits offering can do a lot of good when it comes to employee motivation as well. Something that it’s well worth remembering when it comes time to review raises.

The right resources

Sometimes it is the small things that make the most significant difference to the success of your business, and nowhere is this truer than when it comes to finding the resources that will allow your company to run.

What that means is it’s essential not only to pay attention to the quality of even the smallest of items like these electromagnets you need to use in your manufacturing process but also their cost and ease of availability as well. After all, if you can’t source the item quickly and at a price that works for your business budget, it may affect how successful your company can run.

Effective marketing

If you want your business to thrive, it’s also crucial that you pay attention to the marketing side of things. This is because marketing is what lets potential customers know what you are offering, and without it, your company could be dead in the water.

Luckily, marketing is a specialism that is evolving to be more effective all the time. In fact, by keeping up to date with the latest trends such as micromarketing and customized landing pages you can significantly increase the chance of your business’s success.

Strong leadership

Lastly, if your small business is going to be a success, one thing that you absolutely cannot live without is strong leadership. It is essential to remember however that strong leadership doesn’t mean ruling with an iron fist or being bombastic in the ways that you deal with your employees.

In fact, it’s more about having a clear vision for your company and devising a path to achieve it, one that uses the strength of those around you to their full potential. After all, if it is to be lasting, success must be built on a solid foundation, and continually pushing people over their limits will only serve to endanger all the hard work that you have put in.

You won’t believe how simple scheduling can be when you upgrade to a solution with these 6 features

Everybody has a scheduling software to manage their clock ins, clock outs, and other employee scheduling information. Here’s the thing– not everyone has a good scheduling software. But with so many options out there, how can you tell whether or not your scheduling software is the best?

We recently tried out an amazing scheduling software that changed our lives. To help you upgrade your time clock experience, we’ve put together a list of six features we can no longer do without, and you shouldn’t either:

Options to create different locations

Options to create different departments and positions

Employee shift creation

Smartphone app integration

Punch limiting

Automatic punch outs

Whether you’re a big company or a startup– a restaurant owner, a contractor, or a business guru– scheduling software can help you keep your employees, locations, and more organized.

1. Creating different locations

If you have multiple offices, restaurants, or job sites, this feature is an absolute lifesaver. Gone are the days of sorting through every single employee at the same time. The best scheduling softwares allow you assign employees to their proper location and track the amount of time they spend there in one convenient report.

2. Creating different departments and positions

When you’re dealing with a lot of information– like all of your employees and their schedules, for example– organization is key. If your scheduling software doesn’t make it easy for you to assign and analyze data about your employees, it’s not worth it.

3. Employee shift creation

What happens if your employees swap shifts or an on-call employee reports for duty to help cover an emergency? Without support to let employees create shifts, what happens can be you end up with a major headache. Not anymore!

Make it easy for employees to learn about updates to their schedule when you choose a time clock solution that integrates with smartphone apps to notify your employees.

4. Smartphone app integration

When I was a waitress in high school, I had to drive to the restaurant every Sunday to check my schedule for the week after it was posted. Now, sharing schedules with your employees is as simple as pressing a button. They’ll even receive notifications if a shift changes. There really is an app for everything, isn’t there?

5. Punch limiting

We all have employees who like to clock in early or clock out late to try to rake up a little extra cash. Don’t let employees throw off your budget. Punch limiting allows you to limit the time frame during which employees can clock in or out, saving you time and money.

6. Automatic punch outs

It’s always a headache when an employee forgets to punch out at the end of their shift. If this is a chronic problem for your staff, automatic punch outs can help. They automatically clock your employees out after a certain amount of time, saving you a lot of trouble later on.

These six scheduling software feature can make a huge difference in the success of your company.

That’s it– six scheduling software features that are total necessities in our book. What scheduling software do you use? Let us know in the comments!